Despite being one of the country’s economic engines, the construction sector in Spain faces multiple challenges that test their ability to evolve. One of them, and perhaps the most relevant to that today is not a solution, is the shortage of qualified labor. A problem that has been dragging from the financial crisis of 2008 that caused the loss of hundreds of thousands of jobs and the change of sector of many workers. Since then, it has been difficult to recover the attractiveness of construction between new generations.
At present, explains Mónica Pérez, director of Communication and Studies of Infojobs, although there are vacancies available, many companies have difficulty finding workers with the necessary training and experience. The lack of attractiveness of the sector ensues to be historically perceived as hard jobs, with lack of stability, few opportunities for professional development and little interesting in terms of working conditions. In addition, the lack of generational relief – 70% of construction workers are over 40 years old – and the specific training deficit makes the gap between market demand and workers preparation more and more extensive.
With the data in the hand, if we analyze the competition for jobs, we see that in some professions the demand for employees exceeds the offer of candidates: for example, for a job of construction worker there are 4,000 vacancies but only 44 candidates; For electricians drops to 17 and is reduced to 9 candidates for plumbers. And, if we continue paying attention to the figures, five years after finishing their studies, only 42.8% of those graduates in medium grade FP and 44.9% of higher degree have an indefinite contract, figures below the average of other professional families. It is true that the construction sector, in general, and the cement industry, in particular, has never stood out for being particularly ‘sexy’, they point out from Cementos la Cruz. However, the digitalization and incorporation of industry technologies 4.0 are opening new opportunities to capture talent and redefine professional profiles that were not contemplated before. Although in the future a good part of the works will be carried out by machines, this new scenario does not imply any threat to job creation. On the contrary, “it will mitigate the lack of qualified labor and we can see it as a golden opportunity to prestige the image of the sector and make it attractive to the incorporation of qualified workers.”
These data are still worrisome for an industry that represents more than 12% of the country’s GDP and generates employment for 1.5 million people, indicates Carlos Martínez Bertrand, managing director of the Spanish Technological Platform of Construction (PTEC), and for this it is essential to address the existing lag between academic training and market demands. “Construction has experienced significant advances in recent years, with the incorporation of new technologies and materials, however, educational programs often do not adapt to this evolutionary rhythm.” As a result, although there are people interested in working in the sector, they often lack the specific skills required by companies. In addition, competition with other industries is intense. “Sectors such as technology, renewable energy and logistics offer more attractive working conditions for many young people, making construction disadvantaged in the attraction of talent that could be crucial for its modernization.”
On the other hand, it should be noted that according to the construction climate indicator (ICC), which measures the confidence of the sector, it stood at +15.8 points in February 2025, an increase of 7.7 points compared to the previous month and 10.2 points above the same month in 2024. that is, the companies of the sector see with optimism the immediate future, which can translate into more investment and generation of employment, although, it still warns, the report is still Structural challenges, such as qualified labor shortages and the need to adapt training to the real demand of the market.
To address this problem, strategies such as the promotion of professional training and training in trades more employment -oriented through dual FP and specialized courses are being developed. According to the latest report of the Industrial Construction Observatory, ‘Professional training in the construction sector’, currently, 49.3% of workers in this sector have not exceeded ESO, while only 24.5% have FP studies. This formative deficit limits not only the modernization of the sector, but also makes it difficult to incorporate new generations.
The low presence of graduates in the specific branch of building and civil works barely represents 5.5% of the professionals in the sector. In contrast, most come from electricity and electronics (26.7%) and administration and management (19.3%), which reveals a disconnection between the formative supply and the real demand for employment. This lack of qualified profiles is worrying, especially because until 2035 740,000 employment opportunities will be generated in construction, of which 170,000 will be aimed at this formative level and most will respond to generational replacement.
From the other formative aspect that nourishes the sector, Justo Vicente, member of the Governing Board of the College of Channels and Ports Engineers, states that Civil Engineering lives a key moment: “We are attending a period of great construction development in Spain, although without reaching the levels prior to 2008. The situation generated by the Next Generation funds and private investment in sectors such as data process centers or housing have promoted this recovery.”
But this growth faces structural challenges and the increase in prices of both materials – influid by the rise in energy, transport, localization of origin – and the shortage of professionals in all areas, from trades to technicians. The lack of project engineers, technical office engineers, production leaders, construction or specialized technicians is one of the great concerns and although from Caminos Madrid «we actively work to arouse the interest of young people in this key discipline for the infrastructure of the future, we must recover the esteem for the sector and that those who decide Dignification of technical professions and improvements in remuneration, ”says Vicente.
Also improvements in working conditions, with best practices and greater work security through the automation of dangerous tasks with robots or the use of sensors to check the risks in real time, could significantly reduce accidents in the works, improving the conditions for workers and making the most attractive sector. Another aspect to consider is the promotion of qualified immigration that could help cover and alleviate the current demand.
From Europe they also promote training and qualification that translates into a solution to this urgent need: if construction wants to remain competitive, it must ensure that its workers have the appropriate skills. To do this, it promotes a new edition of the ‘Construction Blueprint 2’. A project co -financed by the Erasmus+ program with a double approach: on the one hand, anticipate the new labor demands derived from the digital and ecological transition; and on the other, establish a flexible training framework and adapted to the needs of the market. The Plan contemplates the development of modular training plans in professional training and higher education, the creation of a digital matrix of emerging skills and a platform that integrates professional recycling resources. In addition, the implementation of a system of micro-certificationsdesigned to prove specific knowledge and facilitate employability.
In this new unstoppable digital reality that we are living, can technology also be the solution to an artisan or traditional sector? Industrialized and modular construction, digitalization and new construction techniques could be key to making the sector more attractive, in addition to a great opportunity in front of youth strike, but it is a transformation that requires time and demands new competencies that exceeds the current capacity of training and recycling. The sector needs a well planned transition and a greater investment in technological training to make it effective.
Full change
According to PTEC, construction 4.0 would allow optimizing processes, reducing costs and increasing job security, thus attracting new professionals. “It is not only a digitalization process, but a process of complete transformation in the way of designing, building and managing infrastructure and buildings,” they say. The use of tools such as Building Information Modelling (BIM), IoT sensors, artificial intelligence or 3D printing allows, among other things, optimize processes, reduce errors, reduce costs and deadlines. In short, increase the attractiveness of construction as a profession for new generations.
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